Press Releases
Congressman Brecheen Reintroduces Healthy SNAP Act to Exclude SNAP Benefits for Junk Foods and Soft Drinks
Washington,
January 16, 2025
Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Josh Brecheen reintroduced the Healthy SNAP Act. The bill would exclude soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and prepared desserts from being purchased with SNAP benefits. The bill also requires the Secretary of Agrict to ensure that eligible food promotes the health of SNAP recipients and reflects nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Josh Brecheen reintroduced the Healthy SNAP Act. The bill would exclude soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and prepared desserts from being purchased with SNAP benefits. The bill also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that eligible food promotes the health of SNAP recipients and reflects nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. Fox News' Liz Elkind wrote an exclusive report on the bill, which you can read here. “President Trump has been given a mandate by the majority of Americans to Make America Healthy Again, and those in his administration, like RFK Jr. and Senator Marco Rubio, have directly advocated for eliminating junk food purchases with SNAP. This legislation advances President Trump’s agenda by ensuring that SNAP is used for nutritious foods, rather than junk foods and soda that contribute to long-term health issues. If someone wants to buy junk food on their own dime, that’s up to them. But what we’re saying is, don’t ask the taxpayer to pay for it and then also expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for the resulting health consequences. As Oliver Anthony, in his viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond," said, “Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.” Americans know this is common sense! Over 42 million Americans are currently receiving SNAP benefits—that’s about 1 in 8 people. More than 20% of all federal SNAP spending goes towards the purchase of junk foods and sugary drinks (sugary drinks alone make up 10%). Approximately 75% of adults and around 33% of children in the United States are currently overweight or obese. In addition to the obvious health improvements, this bill will also result in significant savings in taxpayer funds for such programs as Medicaid, where approximately 1 in 4 Americans (79 million total) are currently enrolled. Federally funded healthcare for obesity and obesity-related diseases has reached $400 billion per year, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee (JEC) 2023 report. We can’t afford to go down this road any longer as a nation,” - said Congressman Josh Brecheen. Co-sponsors include Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Mary Miller (R-IL), and David Schweikert (R-AZ). ### |
